BSc, PhD, CPsychol, FBPsS, FRSA - Head of HPRU
Professor Ian Hindmarch is Professor of Human Psychopharmacology and Head of HPRU Medical Research Centre at the University of Surrey, Guildford, England. His research, over the past 30 years, has concentrated on the clinical activity, behavioural toxicity and side effects of psychoactive drugs in clinical use. Professor Hindmarch is a founding editor of Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental and currently the Editor-in-Chief. He has edited 20 books and the results of his research have appeared in over 470 medical and scientific papers (including over 120 on the psychopharmacology of anxiety and depression). His current research interests focus on the development of new medicines for depression, anxiety, dementia and sleep disturbance, particularly as regards the possible side effects of drug treatment on the activities of patients performing the cognitive and psychomotor tasks for everyday living.
Medical Director, MB BS (Lond.), FRCP, FFPM, Dip. Pharm. Med., Dip. Obst. RCOG.
Richard Rondel is a medical graduate of the University of London.
He held teaching hospital posts in general medicine and clinical pathology in the National Health Service for seven years, before entering the pharmaceutical industry.
Between 1963 and 1981, he occupied senior positions in clinical research in two leading multinationals, the first Swiss and the second American. He then worked for fifteen years as an international consultant to the Pharma Industry before being appointed as Professor in Clinical Practice in the University of Surrey in 1996.
He is currently Medical Director of the University's HPRU Medical Research Centre. He has also recently been appointed Post Graduate Clinical Tutor in which role his duties include the organisation and supervision of three MSc degree courses - in Pharmaceutical Medicine, Clinical Pharmacology, and Clinical Quality Assurance, respectively.
Principal Research Psychologist
Sarah has worked at the HPRU Medical Research Centre since March 1998. She obtained a BSc (Hons.) in Psychology from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne and a PhD from Royal Holloway, University of London, where her thesis examined the role of the cholinergic modulation system in human visual attention.
Her current research interests include the assessment of putative cognitive enhancers, psychiatric illness and cognitive function in the elderly, and the effects of psychotropic medication on daily activities.
Clinical Research Officer
Jean joined HPRU as the Haematology Technician in 1997, and was promoted to her present position in October 1998 in recognition of her contributions to the Research Unit. Her main responsibility is the management of Actigraphy on our external studies. She analyses the sleep and daytime activity of the volunteers and subjects using the Sleepwatch program and has some fascinating insights into their sleeping habits.
Jean is also responsible for the Haematology Laboratory and processes the blood samples which are then forwarded for analysis as appropriate. In this capacity Jean is our Dangerous Goods Safety Advisor and also holds the IATA certificate for shipping dangerous goods by air.
As Deputy Safety Officer for the Unit Jean also holds the First Aid at Work certificate
BSc Hons - Research Officer
Michelle studied Physiology at the University of Leeds and graduated in 1994. She was appointed as a research officer at the HPRU Medical Research Centre in October 1998 and has been involved in the field of sleep research working alongside Neil Stanley. Her main interest lies in the study of sleep through the use of actigraphy and quantitative EEG looking at the sedative effects of psychoactive drugs on healthy volunteers.
Statistician, BSc Hons, BSc Hons, MSc, MSc, PhD (CNAA), CStat, MBCS, CEng
I have a background of statistics in the telecommunications industry and in Government, having qualified in statistics by part-time study. At the HPRU, I act as support to the Head of Data Management and Statistics, helping with data analysis, checking, methodology and computing and producing results for reports.
M.I.S. - Head of Data Management and Statistics
Susan joined HPRU three years ago to take up the position of Data Management/IT Officer after moving to Surrey. With over fifteen years of data management experience gained in a variety of therapeutic areas within the pharmaceutical industry her role within the Unit has quickly expanded and she is now responsible for all the statistics and data management functions.
In this role Susan is involved at all stages of the research projects, from protocol and crf design, data capture procedures and database design through to report writing and presentation of results.
BA Hons, RN- Study Site Co-ordinator
Jo Langford holds the position of Study Site Co-ordinator and has worked at the HPRU Medical Research Centre since 1997. She obtained a BA (Hons) Nursing from Liverpool John Moores University, following which she joined a Phase I Clinical Trials Unit as a Research Nurse.
Jo's role within the unit includes co-ordination and clinical management of studies, with responsibility for the unit's 12 bedded ward. Jo has responsibility for a team of nurses, to ensure effective volunteer recruitment for studies, volunteer safety and welfare.
BN, RN - Research Nurse
Sandra is a nursing graduate from the University of Southampton and has held the post of Research Nurse at HPRU since March 1998.
Previous to this I worked as a staff nurse in the medical unit at Winchester hospital.
My role as research nurse at the HPRU is varied. I assist with the co-ordination and smooth running of the volunteer studies. My responsibilities include volunteer recruitment, screening of volunteers and volunteer welfare throughout the duration of a study.
B.A, M.A - Research Psychologist
Una studied Psychology at University College Dublin and has worked at the HPRU for two years. Prior to her present position she worked at the Addiction Research Centre at University of Wales, Swansea on an MRC funded alcohol project. Her research interests include the behavioural and neuropharmacology of psychotropic and social drugs. Specific areas of interest include cognitive and psychomotor mechanisms associated with caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, antidepressants and ginkgo biloba. She is also interested in conditioning approaches to understanding drug use and addiction, particularly in relation to nicotine and alcohol.
BSc Hons - IT Research Officer
Fran is a graduate of the University of Surrey and has worked at the HPRU since 1996. Her role combines the planning and implementation of the HPRU's IT strategy with an active involvement in much of the unit's research. She is responsible for the development and validation of new psychometric tests and testing equipment and her particular area of research interest is the effects of psychotropic medicines on car driving performance.
Business Development Manager
Ziba's position as Business Development Manager requires her to be constantly searching for new business ideas. One of the ways in which she achieves this is by representing the Unit at national and international conferences. Ziba is actively involved in the production of all promotional material to represent the work of the HPRU. As the business development manager, she is responsible for the generation of preliminary study proposals as well as the financial planning of all research projects. As such, she is the primary contact point to all enquiries regarding future business. She also liases with current sponsors on the generation of final study reports and the publication of study results.
In addition to her responsibilities as a business development manager, she is an active member of the research team, and involved in the day-to-day running of clinical studies.
Her research interests include the study of the effects of centrally active compounds, namely the antihistamines on cognition and aspects of performance.
Research Nurse
I am a registered nurse, trained at Leeds General Infirmary. I commenced working part-time at HPRU in 1998 and help with recruitment and screening of volunteers.
Director of Sleep Laboratories
My role in the HPRU Medical Research Centre is to manage the research activities of our sleep laboratories, Quantitative/Pharmaco EEG laboratory and actigraph capabilities. I am pioneering the use of actigraphy to measure drug induced daytime sedation. I have been involved in sleep research since 1982 having previously worked at the RAF Institute of Aviation Medicine prior to joining the HPRU in 1993. I am currently on the committee of the British Sleep Society. My research interests include:
· Sleep
· Sleep and daytime performance
· Sleep and drugs
· Human behaviour and actigraphy
· Drugs and daytime sedation
· Clinical and forensic aspects of sleep
· Shift work, Jet lag and circadian rhythms
Secretary to Prof. Rondel
Qualified Secretary to Pitmans Advance and R.S.A. III standard to include Pitmans Word Processing and first degree pass in Office Practice including GCSE English Language.
Part-time Secretary to Professor Richard Rondel, as Course Director on the Master of Science in Pharmaceutical Medicine and HPRU Medical Director.
Responsible for looking after students during the dissertation stage at the end of their MSc. All general secretarial practice included. Responsibility for upkeep of all HPRU employee's C.V.'s on a regular basis.
Previously worked full time as P.A. to the Engineering Director at Dennis Specialist Vehicles, Engineering Company before leaving to begin a family.
MSc Administrator
Generally responsible for the students' studying with the HPRU including both administration & welfare liasing with academic staff as appropriate, especially Prof, Richard Rondel. Dealing with general enquiries, from both potential students and their sponsors, processing application forms, checking references & qualifications. Arrangement of modules, booking lecturers and facilities as required, allocating spaces and collecting fees. Liasing with lectures regarding pre-reading, course work and assignments, checking deadlines, arranging marking, recording marks and notifying students.
Promotion of the Programmes of study on offer and the new conference facilities at the HPRU, liasing with external companies regarding their conference needs.
Administrator
Susan was appointed to the post of Administrator in April 1999, a new post , created in recognition of the rapid growth of the Unit. Susan has general administrative responsibility for the Unit with particular responsibility for financial planing, budgetary control and the planning process.
Having spent seven years working for the Hong Kong Government as a Police Inspector and then as a Corruption Prevention Officer in the Independent Commission Against Corruption Susan returned to the UK. Prior to joining HPRU Susan spent ten years organising and planning Continuing Education courses for qualified solicitors throughout England and Wales.
Receptionist
Nola is in charge of keeping reception running smoothly, answering and transferring all calls and greeting all visitors to the unit.
Nola also helps Elizabeth Oliver who is currently running a study for elderly volunteers, she helps with arranging there next appointments and if they require transport to the unit.
Nola Works along side Valerie Telling who is the Office Manager, together they do all the purchase ordering and preparing invoices for payment.
Before working for the HPRU, Nola worked in the hotel industry where she was trained to do reception work. Prior to that she studied for three years at Guildford College for Further and Higher Education where she succeeded in getting the qualifications she needed to work in the Hotel and Catering industry.
PA to Prof. Hindmarch
Anne Nixon has worked in a variety of secretarial and PA positions since 1973. She has been PA to Professor Ian Hindmarch for over 11 years, initially in Leeds and then relocating to Surrey in 1990 when the Prof. received the only Chair in Human Psychopharmacology in the UK at the University of Surrey.
She is responsible for all aspects of secretarial support for Prof. Hindmarch, including general correspondence, medico-legal work, preparation of manuscripts for publication, conference organisation, maintaining bibliographies and organising meetings with sponsors and other visitors. In addition, she acts as Editorial Assistant to Prof. Hindmarch in his capacity as Editor-in-Chief of Human Psychopharmacology:Clinical & Experimental and as an editorial board member of about 20 other journals.
Perhaps her most crucial role is organising the Professor's diary, arranging his often complex and always hectic travel schedule and ensuring he is always in the right place at the right time.
Office Manager
Valerie first came to the unit six years ago as a temp, and has held the position of office manager for 14 months. This involves making sure that the office runs smoothly from reception to having enough pens in the stationery cupboard (all with black ink) available for studies, and more recently assisting with the payment and purchasing of accounts for the unit.
Her other duties in the department include control and dispatch of the papers that are produced by Professor Hindmarch and the research staff, this now totals over 460 papers, and requests for copies are received from all over the world.
Before joining the HPRU, she worked for many years in the health service, and many local offices, her work varied from general secretarial to telephonist (and was GPO trained) and at the beginning of her work career shop assistant.
She has almost completed 5 years on branch committee with the Royal British Legion, and held the positions of secretary for branch as well as service.
Housekeeper
I am the Housekeeper at the Unit, and my role is to ensure that the Unit is kept clean. I also ensure that volunteers are catered for as well as ordering, catering and serving buffets/refreshments for MSc courses, meetings etc.
